One Lie by Stephanie Rogers

Author:Stephanie Rogers [Rogers, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-14T00:00:00+00:00

25

ASHLEY’S JAW TENSES. DAN is tuning him out.

‘Are you listening to a single word I’m saying?’ he says, hating the whine in his voice.

Dan turns to him with a loud sigh. The old leather sofa creaks as Dan’s weight shifts. ‘What? I‘m trying to watch Emmerdale!’

‘It’s a recording! And it’s a load of crap, anyway!’

‘But I like it. What’s so important, anyhow, that you simply have to tell me this second?’

Ashley chews the inside of his cheek. Can’t Dan see he’s got something on his mind? Or does he just not care? ‘Nothing. Just forget it.’

‘Fine! Good!’ Dan folds his arms and turns back to the TV.

Ashley slumps back into the cushions. He wants to tell Dan about the BABY-KILLING WHORE note from yesterday, ask him what he thinks about it, but Dan clearly isn’t interested. God forbid you should get in the way of him and his soaps!

Ashley closes his eyes, trying to tune out the irritating voices on the TV that are stopping him from thinking. His mum was clearly lying when he asked her what it was. When she’d seen the note, the blood had drained from her face, and she'd just stood there, frozen, the shock on her face obvious.

'So, what’s it about?' he'd asked her, holding the paper out.

She'd been forced to take it, her eyes locked onto it, and the flush that seeped up her chest and neck into her cheeks was like litmus paper dipped in acid.

'I have no idea,' she'd said, her voice barely a whisper.

'Well, it's for you. It has your name on it. How can it be for someone else? It was hand-delivered,’ he’d pointed out. ‘Is it true? Did you sleep with a teacher? And what's this about killing a baby? I don't understand.'

She'd cleared her throat, rammed the note into her pocket, and turned to him, her cheeks still stained scarlet. 'It must be some prank or something. Someone with a sick sense of humour.'

'So it's not true, then?'

She'd shaken her head. 'Of course it's not.'

'But why would someone write that? And who?'

'Look, I've said I don't know.'

'Mum…'

But she'd left the room, saying she was going to make a start on the tea. He'd watched her go; she'd knocked into the TV stand on the way out, desperate to be somewhere else. He'd followed her into the kitchen, where she was checking out the contents of the fridge in great detail. It seemed the conversation was over. Straight after dinner, she'd announced she was tired and had taken herself off to bed. He'd not seen her since.

He glances at the clock now, still unable to make sense of any of it. Dan stares, unblinking, at whatever fracas is going on outside The Woolpack. Always with the bloody drama. There’s enough in real life; who wants more in their downtime?

He taps his fingers on his thighs, thinking. It’s seven PM, which means it’s four in the morning in Sydney.

‘I’ve got some uni work to do,’ he says, sliding forward.

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